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Friday, December 31, 2010

The last Fill in the Blank Friday for 2010. Thanks Lauren for creating this fun series and linking up many bloggers. I have met some great blog friends through this series. Also a big thanks to posting up my suggestions for blanks one Friday. Because of this, I gained many new readers.

Lauren is awesome - make sure you check out her blog and maybe even play along! Happy New Years Eve everyone! I hope you are doing something fun and fancy tonight. See you in 2011.

1. New Year's is (awesome/lame/other)awesome because it's an excuse to wear sequin and sparkle but it's lame when you are trying to find a party to go to but all hotels downtown are going for $400 a night.

2. Last New Year's Eve Iwas at home with my hubby watching This Christmas. We were so into the movies, we missed the countdown. My husband just reminded me that this was New Years Eve two years ago. Last year, we were at a friend's house. We ate, drank and watched movies for two days straight.

3. My New Year's resolution isto find a new job, get back into Pilates and start sewing again.

4. The best way to spend New Year's Eve isaway from home, on a beach. I have yet to experience this but I think it would be a lot of fun.

5. My prediction for an up-and-coming trend in 2011 islong and loose dresses in neutral (nude) colours with serious wedges.

6. This New Year's Eve I will be at home with my hubby. We can't decide what to do so we are going to watch movies all night but I really want to watch Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve Special to see the musical performances.

7. A fresh start isdoing something that you have always wanted to do or to do something differently because the old way didn't seem to work. Although I am not a risk-taker, a fresh start normally involves taking a risk. If you have the guts, I say GO FOR IT! Make a fresh start for 2011.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Like all other bloggers, I am recapping my year. It's not like anything exciting happened (well, I did get to go on three vacations - Dominican Republic, Jamaica and California) but I thought I would share with you month by month what was important to me. I've also included a playlist of songs I mentioned in each month in my blog. Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!!!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Christmas came and it went. It's funny that way...we shop til we drop, we bake til we can't bake no more and with me, I am filled with anxiety and for what??? There is no reason anymore for me to be all bah-humbug about this holiday because I got through it. It still would have been nice to be on a sunny beach sipping some mojitos.

Christmas Eve - alone at home with Mike. We just sat around and watched movies. We were both home all day but Mike had to work for half the day. Christmas morning - my dad came over for brunch. We are french toast and individual frittatas while sipping on mimosas. Christmas dinner - at the in-laws. We had a kris kringle exchange with the entire family (except the lil ones). We ate tons of oysters and mussels. We played lots of PS3 Move (I rock in Frisbee Golf because I am the Matrix and it's only me who can freeze the game). We had a massive sleepover resulting with the hubby and I getting no sleep at all. Boxing day - skipped out on the shopping and just slept all day. We did the same thing on Monday. Let me tell you, we watched a crap load of movies - Takers, Step Up 3D, The Switch, Salt, Going the Distance, The Town, 27 Dresses, Sex and the City 2 and Valentine's Day. Honestly, I have already seen most of these movies but I love background noise. Today, we finally venture out, did a bit of shopping and had lunch with our Westside Crew. We had to get together today because one of our friends is taking a huge risk and spending New Years in NYC. I am worried about him but I am sure it will all work out. I'm really happy for him though!

I hope you have enjoyed your Christmas and I also hope that you don't have to work this week. I am one of the lucky ones who returns to work on Tuesday. I will leave you with two pictures from Christmas.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Wishing all my blog readers a very Merry Christmas and all the best to you and your loved ones in 2011. Thanks for reading my blog and here's hoping you continue to read in the new year. Be safe, have fun and be merry!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

I came down with a cold Monday night. Luckily I nipped it in the bud by staying home yesterday and just resting. I was worn down from the weekend and must have caught a little bug. I am feeling much better today but I lost a day of work, shopping and preparing for Christmas. I feel like Christmas just creeped up on us. There isn't enough time to do everything I wanted to do - fancy gift wrapping, holiday baking, laundry, countdown to Christmas blogging, etc.

I am very thankful that post-Christmas I have a week off. During this week, I hope to reply to emails, come up with some interesting blog posts, comment on blogs, clean up around the condo, watch some movies in the theatre, do some jewelry shopping (my new obsession) and maybe lots of napping. WOW, that seems like a lot for one week. Let's see how much I accomplish.

I hope you are not as tied up as I am. Maybe you are prepared and are just anxiously waiting for Christmas to arrive. If you are ready...let me ask you, do you know what you are doing for New Year's Eve? This is another thing I have to tackle, Mike and I need to figure out what we will be doing to ring in the new year.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Let me share with you what I think is the most awesome kids Christmas gift around. On a Saturday night spur of the moment shopping expedition with my adult friends, we ransacked Zellers in search for some Mega Bloks. We came across this cool set, DJ Lance Boombox:

Some lucky kid is going to receive this for Christmas but I'll let you in on a little secret, I want it for MYSELF. I am so in love with this toy. I was carrying it over my shoulder all throughout Zellers and dancing around. Customers must have thought I was crazy. If you are a Yo Gabba Gabba fan, you will know these songs that are included in the boombox, The Yo Gabba Gabba Theme Song, There's a Party in My Tummy, It's Time to Dance and Freeze Tag.

If you still need to pick up a present for a kid, may I suggest this one? It is seriously the best gift ever. Once you pick it up, you'll want to dance forever!

Friday, December 17, 2010

I just met this adorable girl a few weeks ago when she left a comment on my blog. Kasey loves the colour red and the two of us share a huge love for anything dance (she's even a big fan of Quest Crew). She is such a sweet person and you see this quality of hers all throughout her blog, A Window To My Heart. One other thing, we both love Lauren Conrad!!!

1) When and why did you start blogging?
I started blogging in September of this year. I was going through a hard time and I felt blogging would be a great way for me to get all my thoughts and feelings out ( because I'm sure all of my friends got sick of hearing about it ;) ).

2) Where do you live?
Currently, I am in Orange County, California.

3) What do you do for a living and what do you do in your spare time when you are not blogging?
I am a wedding planner and I can't even begin to tell you how much i LOVE my job. Being able to be a part of a couple's special day is SUCH an honor. It makes me so incredibly happy. When i'm not blogging? Oh man...where do I begin. Of course I love spending time with my family and friends. I LOVE baseball...so going to an Angels game whenever I can, is a must. Any activity dealing with a sport (well most) if it's beach volleyball or kayaking, I enjoy it. I love traveling and going to new places with people that I love.

4) What is your favorite website to visit daily?
Other than blogspot and facebook? I would have to say mlb.com or a few of my favorite stores, like Nordstrom, Express, Amazon.com. I actually love watching makeup and hair tutorials on youtube. I've found some pretty talented ladies on that thing.

5) What is your favorite vacation spot and why?
Maui hands DOWN. I love the laid-back feel to that area. Other than the fact that it's gorgeous, it's just a fun environment. It definitely has a small town feel to it which I absolutely love.

6) Name your top three favorite songs.
My favorite three songs at the moment are 1) Lovely by Sara Haze. LOVE this girl and her music style. 2) Deuces (Remix) by Chris Brown. This song makes me feel badass for some reason. 3) Hold My Heart by Sara Bareilles.

7) Who is your favorite celebrity to stalk?
Lauren Conrad. I envy her style, her demeanor, her passion for her career, everything. I would LOVE to meet her someday.

9) What is your latest obsession?
Recently, I've been trying to teach myself how to cook more than just spaghetti and tacos. I have bought SOOOO many food magazines and looked up so many different food blogs. I print out all the recipes that I'd like to try, and write them in my recipe book. It's been fun trying new foods!
10) What would your last meal be?
My mom's spaghetti. No contest.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

You know when people ask you when you feel most beautiful. Well, I am going to talk about when I feel most ugly...

Some people love winter - they love the falling snow, the snow on the trees, the snow on the ground, etc. I will admit, I am NOT a fan of winter. I was born in Yellowknife, NWT and Whitehorse, YT but I have since escaped their brutual winters. I have lived through months of snow and blizzards but just because I have experienced it, doesn't mean I have to like it.

When winter arrives, I feel like my fashion goes out the door. Gone are the cute little dresses and fancy heels. In come the big parkas, warm mitts, fluffy scarves, clunky boots - none of these are attractive. Unless I didn't get the memo on how to look beautiful and dress like you are on a runway, I find I feel most ugly during this dreadful season.

Here's what makes me feel ugly as the cold climate approaches:

Big winter coats that make you look 10 lbs heavier.

Mitts/gloves that make it hard to use an iPhone.

Hats that make your hair all staticky.

Boots that are so heavy and soaking wet from trugging through the snow.

Dry, chapped lips that make it impossible to wear lipstick.

Dry, ashy hands with rough cuticles and lots of hang nails.

Huge sweaters that create an unflattering shape to your body.

So, unless you have some tips on how to look HOT in the winter, I am claiming the winter season, ugly time. Please help me find a way to look dashing while the snow is coming down.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

You may remember that last month I joined Cold Hands, Warm Hearts. The lovely Sandy and Ilene joined forces to come up with this wonderful swap. My swap partner, Michelle from michelle-esque received my package early last week and blogged about it here.

I received her package to me last Friday. Sorry for the delay in posting this up. Michelle sent me this nicely wrapped package. I read the card and she included a lucky charm. I love that she gave me this charm because I definitely need all the luck in 2011. She told me that it brought her tons of luck in 2010 and she wanted to pass it along to me. I carefully opened the two package and found two pairs of gloves - b&w fingerless mitts and cream gloves. But within each of them, I found little cute, erasers, stamps and inks. Also, cute Christmas glitter stickers.

I love everything she gave me. It's so thoughtful and creative. Thank you very much, Michelle. You are a great swap partner, so creative and it's due to the fact that you are a fashion major. I hope you liked everything I sent to you. All I know is that headband is super cute and you rock it well!

For those of you who didn't get a chance to join, it's too bad because this swap was a lot of fun!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

With Christmas approaching, weekends are filled with lots of parties and just getting together with friends and family. My weekend started off with my husband`s holiday work party. The venue was The Warehouse in Downsview Park...it`s in the middle of nowhere but if you decorate it properly, it`s a great place to throw a party. Encore Catering catered the event. My company uses them for our programs so I know that the food is always good. And then there was a cool photo booth - see our photo here. We didn`t stay late but we would have love to because the entertainment crew they hired was so hype. Unfortunately, I forgot the company name. Mike`s got some cool co-workers. I miss having co-workers that you actually can joke around with and also have fun with. I probably mentioned before, in my company there are 12 women, so just imagine the craziness/cattiness that is polluting my work environment.

Another reason we went home early from the party is that our niece and nephew were coming early in the morning to hang out with us. My SIL and her husband, dropped off the kids and off they went to do what they needed to do. The little boy, Blake was okay for the first two minutes and then started to freak out when he realized that his mom and dad were not following him. See, he has never been to our place and is only know recognizing us. We rarely see him because the family lives so far. His sister, Belle calmed him down and soothed him. We had asked her if she could make her baby brother stop crying and she said no, but she would give it a try. She was amazing! We were proud of her and she was proud of herself. She said she was able to do it because she believed in herself. Adorable! After Blake got his bearings, it was Mickey mouse pancake time. This kid must have eaten all the pancakes I cooked...

We threw in Toy Story 3 for them to watch and they just sat there, like good kids and watched. I took advantage of this quiet time to bake some skor bars and make jello shots for the Wong Christmas party we had to go to later at night. Blake got restless so he helped Mike decorate the tree but also kept occupied by playing with the magnets on the fridge. Belle started tearing because there was a part in Toy Story 3 that was "so sad", and decided to help the boys decorate the tree. When it was time to watch Princess and the Frog, Uncle Mick made a tent for them.

Later, Mike's parents came over with some food and my SIL & BIL came to pick up the kids. It was an exhausting afternoon but we had a great time with the little ones. We immediately took a nap and then watched Easy A before getting ready for the party.

This is an awesome movie. I didn't think it would be but it's hilarious and has a feel good ending - what more can you ask for? Emma Stone pulled off the character, Olive to a tee. I now wish I had watched it in the theatre.

Later in the evening, it was off to the Wong Christmas Party. The Wong family throw this party (plus a summer one) every year. My brother use to always be invited so I am quite honoured that they would invite me, my hubby and Maureen. I know that we can't replaced his presence but I love the fact that I have taken over Gino's tradition of bringing the jello shots. We toasted Gino with the shots and had a fun time making punch. The punch was a little gross so I think next time, I will bring some ingredients to make it more palatable. Anyway, when I walked into their house, I saw two of my doppelgangers. Don't you love our asian tourist photo pose?

Sunday was a day of rest. The hubby and I watched Love Actually and Home Alone 2 and waited for the big snowstorm to hit, which it never did. Overall, it was a great weekend. Now it's time to get through this week of work so I can enjoy another fun-filled weekend.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Disclaimer: I am not trying to make this a "woe is me" story. I have a huge issues with Christmas, more like a love-hate relationship with it. It's pretty bad, believe me, I have even gone to therapy for it and I came up with my own solution that running away from it was the best solution. But deep down inside, I know it's not. Maybe if I actually sit down, think about it and write it all down, it might help me see things more clearly and understand why I feel the way I do during this holiday season.

I come from a broken family, by broken, I mean my parents have been divorced for over 18 years. To me, that's 18 years of no family tradition of Christmas. The tradition has been Christmas Eve with one parent and Christmas Day with another. This caused the first sign of anxiety for me knowing that since my brother and I would be with one parent, the other one would be all alone. Now fast forward the sudden death of my brother, just imagine what emotions I go through during the holidays without my partner-in-crime --> the brother who knew exactly what it was like to go from one household to another. The year that he passsed away, I knew I couldn't be in the city so my husband and I jetted off to Cuba (we had booked in September because I knew then that I couldn't handle Christmas without him). In 2009, we ran away again, this time to Punta Cana. And this year, I am trying to brave it since my husband has not had the chance to spend Christmas with his family because I need to be away. I hate taking him away from his family and I am so thankful that he sacrifices his traditions to make it easier for me to get through a painful time.

He knew something was wrong with me back in Christmas 2007 when I broke down and cried all the way to his parent's house after leaving Christmas Eve with my dad and brother. My mom was with her BF in California, my dad was going to his GF's house and I knew that my brother would be going home to an empty house. We asked him to join us but he wasn't up for it. I was so upset and I felt horrible knowing that my brother would be alone. I continued crying in the washroom once we walked into my in-law's house. The family knew I was upset and I think it's not uncommon for them to see me cry during every single holiday. I am grateful they are so understanding and so loving. Anyway, I finally walked out of the washroom because my niece (who was two at the time) and my MIL came to get me and greet me with a big hug. When I reached the dinner table, I was greet with more hugs. It was since that time, my husband knew that we would be having issues every Christmas.

There is so much more I could talk about, like why my mom stopped spending Christmas in Toronto, why my brother and I always devise a plan for a quick getaway but I don't want to get into it. Those are other demons in my closet I will deal with later. This post is not about me hating Christmas (although we do have a black Christmas tree), it's more about why it's a difficult time for me but also why I love it. Now that I have shared with you why I always feel like running away during the holidays, here is why there may be hope for me to love it once again. As my husband would say to me, "You love the idea of Christmas but I hate the reality of YOUR Christmas".

My hubby is taking baby steps with me. First by playing Christmas music constantly, then by overloading me with Christmas movies (since I still love Xmas movies) and now by getting the kids to help us decorate the tree. This was a lot of fun. The kids should come over every year and help us! Now as I finish up writing the last of the Christmas cards and finish up the shopping, I hope some Christmas spirit takes over me. I do look forward to spending Christmas with my in-laws. It should be a fun time with the kids and hopefully this year, I won't be crying in the washroom. If you want to read my hubby's take on us and Christmas, read it here. I tried to read it last night but it made me cry so I tried again this morning and no tears!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

I'm late, I'm late...I forgot to fill in the blank on Friday, now I am doing it Saturday morning. If you want to join in the fun, check out Lauren's blog and link up your answers there. Have a good weekend everyone, stay warm!

1. I wishI was going to be on a beach for Christmas but it looks like we will FOR SURE be in town this year. I will try to make the best of it.

2. Yesterday I went to my husband's Holiday party. It was at this cool venue, with delicious catering, a photo booth and a great dj & mc. We were totally enjoying the music and entertainment. We would have stayed longer but we wanted to go to bed early because our niece and nephew will be here any minute.

3. Today I willdecorate the tree with Mike, Belle and Blake, bake skor bars and make jello shots for the Wong Christmas party later on tonight.

4. Tomorrow I willrelax, snuggle up with my snuggie and watch some movies - Despicable Me, Going the Distance and Love Actually.

5. Maybe I will totally get into the holiday spirit. This week's episode of Glee sure put a move on my heart. It's time for me to stop being the Grinch or Scrooge and start putting the past in my past and believe again that Christmas can be fun.

6. Somedaythe hubby and I will make it to Italy or Japan. We need to venture out and stop lying all the beach. We need to explore and travel more.

7. I loveSaturdays! I love not having to work. After going to my hubby's Christmas party, it made me realize that I want to work in a company where there is more than 10 employees who are not all female and who all get along and can have a good time. I miss that work environment. I remember a time when I actually liked going into work, where it was fun and not all catty. We are all women where I work just just imagine what that is like. So for now, I am going to continue to love my Saturdays!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Finally, I get to feature this girl. Ai is a friend of my sister-in-law but I have had the pleasure to get to know her on my own through our blogs and on our quarterly drink dates (now it's more like yearly). She is a new mom and a fellow beach bum. Like me and my hubby, she and her buddy did a destination wedding but in Mexico. I still remember the one night they came over and we gave the all the info we knew on destination weddings. We consumed lots of wine that night - luckily they lived down the street and walked home. While she is on mat leave, she is pursuing her dream career by going back to school part time. Check out her blog, Our Bump Adventures. There you will get a chance to read all about her adventures with her little, cute daughter.

1) When and why did you start blogging?
I started blogging last year during my second trimester. I was pregnant and I wanted to share what we were going through since our families were far away. And I knew I wouldn't be up for traveling to visit.

2) Where do you live?
GTA
3) What do you for a living and what do you do in your spare time when you are not blogging?
I work in an R&D lab for a Canadian Company in the Pulp and Paper Industry. I am currently on maternity leave so my spare time is consumed with my daughter. But I am back in school part time to complete my diploma in Holistic Nutrition. And the rest of my spare time I like to blog, shop, dinners with friends, yoga and stroller walking :)
4) What is your favorite website to visit daily?
A site that I catch up on all my fave tv shows that I've missed.

5) What is your favorite vacation spot and why?
Mexico. I love the food, people and culture.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

That's it, my day is done. I had a great birthday. First of all, I was greeted by tons of tweeters (too many to keep up with), some text and emails but the best one was the greeting from my mom. If you have been following my blog, you will know that she likes to write poems. She wrote a special one for my birthday. I found it sweet yet hilarious. Thank you mom!

It was quite a busy day at work but somehow I managed to have lunch with one of my BFFs, Stephanie. She treated me to a sushi lunch. Unfortunately, I ate very little because I was full from my birthday breakfast of McDonald's Hotcakes & Sausages and my usual Starbucks drink (yes, I got it free because it's my birthday!). I quickly made plans for the evening at Oliver & Bonacini for Mike and five of my friends.

Lucky for us, all cocktail drinks were $4.95. We ordered a round of Thai Mojitos and lots of delicious food. You know me, I have to take photos of what I eat. I shared some appetizers with Maureen because I was still full from breakfast and lunch. My hubby was super awesome for picking up the bill.

Classic Caprese Bruschetta

Grilled Calamari

Asides from the gift from my dad from the night before, I also got my fabulous snuggie (thanks mopar), cool iPhone apps magnets, leather gloves, note cards and a gift card from David's tea. My co-workers also greeted me with a cake and my cubicle neighbour got me a cute cake with a macaron on top and a Lindt advent calendar.﻿

I truly enjoyed my birthday and I was sad to see it end. Lastly, thank you blogger friends and readers for the birthday greetings, you guys are awesome and totally made my day!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Yup, that's right...today is my birthday. Today I turn 30-something. Not a significant birthday but it's still a celebration of the day I was born.

One of my best friends doesn't believe in celebrating before your actual birthday but due to my dad's schedule and mine, we had to go out for dinner the day before. My dad and his companion took Mike and I out for dinner. I was treated to two free birthday dessert. We ate one frozen key lime pie (it was awesome, the graham crust was delicious) and took the other one home. I also received a gigantic present - I Love Bathing gift set from Lush. It was filled with bubble bars and bath bombs. It's like heaven to me.

Earlier today, after I went for my eyebrow waxing, I treated myself to a birthday present. I finally purchased a Tom Ford Private Collection lipstick in Smoke Red. I have been eyeing this lipstick since hearing about it through SoloLisa's blog and from my BFF, Stephanie over at blushpretty. I can't wait to wear it today for my actual birthday.

I'm hoping today won't be stressful at work and I enjoy my mid-week birthday. I am quite excited because my new boss is a big fan of birthdays. For days she's been asking me what I plan to do for my special day.

Monday, December 6, 2010

C'mon, we all had one but we probably didn't keep it throughout high school, college, marriage and various moves. I had four - one was mine, Ursula and the other three, well, two belonged to friends who left them at my house (yes, Julie R. - I think they were yours) and one belonged to my brother. I had them with me up until high school. My dad remarried and had little grandkids from the Philippines move in with him. They didn't bring any toys with them so I lent them my CPKs only to never see them again. Back in 2007 when Mike was on vacation with his friend, I started to get obsessed with getting another Cabbage Patch kid. My mom and I searched high and low (well basically, WalMart, Zellers and Toy R Us ) for the perfect one. I found a cute little boy, Oscar Aryan, who looked exactly how my husband looked when he was a baby. Don't worry, I am not crazy or anything, I just wanted another CPK that I could pass down to my child (whenever that happens).

Friday, December 3, 2010

Who doesn't love it when they see Lauren's Fill in the Blank Friday post? It's a great indication that the weekend is finally here. I am not sure about you but last night my hubby and I were talking about how fast this week went. Great that the weekend comes quickly but bad because that means December is going to fly by and then we are into 2011. Don't forget to join in the fun! Have a good weekend everyone!

﻿1. Holiday spiritis foreign to me. It's been years since I got into the holiday spirit but I love the whole concept of it.

2. The holidays are incomplete withoutholiday movies, music and lights. And parties.

3. My favorite things to do around the holidays isrelax. My office is closed from Christmas to New Years so I take that opportunity to have some "me time".

4. A holiday tradition my family and I have iswell, my hubby and I made a new tradition of spending Christmas down south. Since I am not a big fan of the holiday season, we skip Christmas and head down to an island to soak up some sun. This year, we will be home but next year, we will be away for sure!

5. Holiday music isawesome. I love Last Christmas by Wham and All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey. I also love *NSYNC's rendition of O Holy Night. It brings years to my eyes. Lately, when my hubby and I are sitting at our desk in our den, we listen to Christmas remixes while we blog.

6. This year, I'll be spending the holidayswith family in the city. Christmas brunch with my dad and Christmas dinner with my in-laws. Now we just have to figure out what we are going to go on Christmas Eve.

7. Holiday wish listincludes gift cards for LUSH, Forever XXI and H & M, Modern Family or Sons of Anarchy boxed set and nail polish.

I met the beautiful Micaela through her twin sister, Marianne. Micaela recently got married and probably surprised most of us in the blogging community. What is super sweet is that the wedding took place over Thanksgiving weekend in front of her family and her father was the one who married her and her new hubby. Her blog, Dolce Vita, is full of creativity. There you will discover her love for etsy, the lovely packages she sends out and her cute series like Wanting to Know You Wens.

1) When and why did you start blogging?
September 2008, right after two big life changes: the end of a relationship that i thought was the one and a career i thought was my dream job. (what a time to decide to blog right? ha) but my reason for blogging has always been to wear my heart on my sleeve. I don't shy away from writing about personal heartache/doubts laced in with the simple pleasures of life. I always hope that if someone should ever find themselves where i have been... perhaps they'll feel less alone. I love connecting with people which is ultimately why i blog. I even met my best friend through this wonderful world we've created.

2) Where do you live?
i am a Texas girl who followed my heart to Virginia to be with my fiance Max last January. It is after all, the "state for lovers."

3) What do you for a living and what do you do in your spare time when you are not blogging?
right now i'm doing something fun - finding homes for puppies. It's my passion (i have 3 dog babies who are my spoiled little girls!) and though it's not in my degree field (Mass Communications/Public Relations) at least it fills my heart with joy each time i get puppy kisses or find a dog a home. In my spare time i love nothing more than going to my favorite antique shop in our charming downtown (i love all things vintage!), writing what i call "love letters" to my pen pals/blog friends, having movie dates with myself in my pajamas, or having coffee dates with Max.

4) What is your favorite website to visit daily?
besides blogger, postcrossing.com and i have a serious addiction to etsy.com (as my bank will reflect! ha)

5) What is your favorite vacation spot and why?
Italy. I spent summers there in college and it changed my life. I was 19 and lived and loved under the Tuscan sun. I remember when i first saw Venice, i promised myself i would never return until i had someone to share it with that i loved. I can't wait to take Max there! Italy also means my little baby nieces who are my favorite.

6) Name your top three favorite songs.
"The Scientist" by Coldplay (gets me every single time!), "Just like Heaven" by the Cure makes me smile, and "Last Days of Disco" by my favorite singer and forever crush Robbie Williams gets me going in the morning when i'm half asleep and on my way to work.

7) Who is your favorite celebrity to stalk?
ha, see above-- ROBBIE WILLIAMS!!!!!!!!!! i have loved him since i was 10 :) and my fiance is okay with that lol when he got married, i had blog friends send me the UK magazine. See how happy it made me?

Thursday, December 2, 2010

This past Tuesday, I attended the Hip + Urban Girl Guide's Cookies and Champagne party. The event took place at Arta Gallery in the Distillery District. For more details about the event, check it out here.

Distillery District

Before going to the party, I met up with Kathy and we decided to have some dinner at Boiler House. Kathy and I have probably known each other for almost 10 years but although we have partied together and been at birthday parties and all other types of social events with mutual friends, we never really got a chance to get to know one another. Now through blogging and tweeting, I have a second chance at getting to know her. Tonight was a great opportunity to actually speak in person and it was fun. We have a lot more in common than we thought.

My dinner - Pan seared black grouper with paella

Kat's dinner - halibut with risotto

Yours truly with my date for the night, Kathy (sorry for the crappy photo, I had to take it myself)

***

Although I love taking photos with my iPhone, I am not very good at pulling out an actual camera and taking the time to capture decent photos. Here are a couple of quick shots of the spread for the cookie exchange.

And here are my contribution to the cookie exchange, Skor bars. I know that they are not cookies but everyone who tries them seems to love them so why not share it with a bunch of strangers? The catch, I will never share the recipe!!!

The evening went by quickly. After getting a photo taken by the event sponsor, Hotmail, grabbing a glass of champagne and looking at the vendors selling some of their goods, there wasn't much time for networking. The cookie exchange took up most of the night but it was nice to go home with a variety of homemade treats.

I did make one purchase. I have been wanting a feathered headband for quite some time but never found the right one. Finally, I found it through one of the vendors at the event, featherband.